


Hand in hand

by plikki



Series: Body part reveals [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Crack, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27853358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plikki/pseuds/plikki
Summary: Adrien finds it hard to focus when an akuma fight forces him to hold Ladybug's hand. This is nothing compared to how surprised he is to feel the same way with his new partner, Multimouse.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Body part reveals [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027963
Comments: 35
Kudos: 290





	Hand in hand

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so... this was supposed to be another crack reveal, but somehow the fluff turned out to be predominant. Oops? Well, this was the suggestion I got from a few people on the [ Miraculous Fanworks Discord](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) when asked about the next fic in my body parts collection, so hands it was. But also I was too tempted to make this MultiBug and it wasn't supposed to be this long, but it somehow... well. I hope you like it!

Akuma fights were a time of stress and tension. Logically, Adrien wouldn’t enjoy having to fight akumas and worrying for his life. But a part of him always wanted to make it at least a little like a game. Having fun always made time pass faster and also he really enjoyed spending time with his lady. So no matter how tiresome the fight or frustrating the opponent, he found himself thankful for having the opportunity to be there at all. After all, it could be anyone else in the world in his place, but he’d been chosen. 

He tried to stay focused, to be the best partner he could be for Ladybug by doing his part, watching her back and helping to take down the villain. But he also couldn’t stop himself from admiring her determination or sighing just a little at the smile she gave him. And most of all, he couldn’t help thinking about how well her hand fit in his. 

It was for logistic purposes. They needed to know where the other was and the fog created by the akuma to blind and confuse them wasn’t pleasant. So holding hands it was. He knew it was for convenience, like the one time they’d had to be kept together with a pair of handcuffs so that they could be in sync and beat Frightingale. Which didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it though.

Their eyes had met when she’d first offered her hand to him and he’d taken it with a grin. He’d admired the way the fabric of her suit had glided against his, how warm her hand had been and how small compared to his. It had all happened quickly, but all these things had somehow registered in his mind.

Then they had decided that they needed a better grip so she’s interlaced her fingers with his and he’d had to bite back a gasp. He knew this was a tactical move, not something they were doing for fun. But his heart was beating faster and faster and his brain was screaming at him that he was holding hands with Ladybug, just the way he’d seen countless of couples out for a stroll do. There was something strangely intimate about the gesture. He was sure it was lost on her, after all she was in fight mode and focused on their target, but it was still something for him.

He’d somehow managed to drag his mind away from the delightful feeling and they had managed to defeat the akuma. And once the fog was gone, there was no reason for them to hold hands. He’s stifled the regret he’d felt as they did their customary “Pound it!” and then did his best to forget about this. But it was easier said than done.

***

When Ladybug offered to give him her Miraculous because it was prudent for him to have some practice with it in case something happened and he had to take over from her, he’d agreed without hesitation. He was honoured by her trust in him and wanted to do his best.

The first order of business had been to decide who else he could ask for help if for some reason his lady wasn’t available. The choice was limited since the temporary heroes had been compromised in their fight with Miracle Queen. So Ladybug shouldn’t have been surprised when he offered Multimouse and still she’d looked quite shocked by his suggestion.

“Why her? You know her identity when you shouldn’t,” she’d noted.

“But she did nothing wrong, in fact she did a great job and Hawk Moth doesn’t know her identity which is the most important thing. And I will need to know it if I am to ask her for help, right? I trust Marinette and want her as my partner,” he’d replied confidently, because this was the truth and he had been ready to defend his choice. He’d been surprised to see a light blush cover his lady’s cheeks for some strange reason.

“Ok, if you insist, you can go ask Marinette for help in case you need it,” she’d agreed finally.

He hadn’t expected it would happen so soon. After all, he didn’t want something to happen to his lady to prevent her from being there with him. But one day as he was gauging the akuma’s powers and attitude, no Lady Noire appeared by his side. Instead, it was Multimouse. 

“Multimouse!” He exclaimed, looking at her in surprise.

“Hey there, Mister Bug,” she replied with a smile. It was different from the shy or awkward smile Marinette gave him when he was Adrien but it was still unmistakably Marinette and he loved this side of her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, because he felt a shot of worry for his partner. 

“Ladybug or rather Lady Noire asked me to help you,” she shrugged as if there was nothing out of the ordinary in this. “She’s fine, don’t worry. She just couldn’t be here and didn’t want to leave you in the lurch.” There was something mischievous in her eyes but it was even harder to reconcile with the image he had of Marinette in his mind, so he let it go.

“Ok, so the akuma is trying to lure us into a trap. You know the type, the way Gamer set up his game to trap us until we beat him. But unless we cooperate, I don’t see a way out of this,” he finished with concern. This was not a time to break in a new partner. It was a serious situation and he needed someone who knew him really well. He couldn’t do anything to change this, though, and he knew Marinette would give her best.

“Let’s do it then,” she said without any trace of nervousness. But then she surprised him by grabbing his hand. “We better not lose each other once we enter the akuma’s fantasy world, right?” She said by way of explanation. 

He barely heard her. He was too busy looking at their joined hands. It wasn’t even something new. He’d held hands with Marinette before, when they had been on the run from his fans. But this wasn’t the same, somehow. It was the practiced ease with which her fingers interlaced with his, as if she knew it offered a better grip, and also as if she’d done it before.

His eyes traveled up her arm and met hers. She was looking at him curiously, obviously surprised to see his reaction. He shot another look at their joined hands and this time he could feel she followed suit. 

By now, he was almost certain. Her fingers weren’t bright red, the way they’d been before, instead they were black just like his but her hand fit his in the same way. The feeling from earlier that they’d done this before, had been right. 

“M’lady,” he whispered and felt her fingers tighten their hold on his involuntarily. It was the only answer he needed. It was too late for her to deny.

“Oh shoot,” she muttered and he looked up into her eyes again. They were the same eyes. And he’d been right the previous time to suspect her!

“It’s ok. You have nothing to worry about,” he rushed to reassure her. “Your secret is safe with me. Now we have an akuma to catch and I’m really happy you’re here.” He added with a smile. She looked disappointed by the fact that she’d given her identity away, but still managed a small smile.

“Let’s do this.”

**

“Now, are you going to tell me why you came as Multimouse and not Lady Noire?” He asked when he purified the akuma and they sent the akumatised woman on her way.

“It was stupid. I was really surprised when you offered to give me a Miraculous again so I wanted to see how you’d work with Multumouse. It wasn’t a good decision, as you can see,” she replied, shaking her head. 

“It’s ok. You did it on purpose last time, right? You wanted to fool me by being both Ladybug and Multimouse,” he realised.

“Illusion. I hated lying to you but it was necessary,” she explained, her eyes asking him for forgiveness. 

“It was a good move. I was pretty sure I’d figured you out before you pulled that stunt,” he laughed a little, remembering Plagg trying to convince him to drop his suspicions. 

“You were? But how?” She asked.

“You guessed just like me that Plagg and Tikki being found together was a pretty big lead, right?” 

“I had to take precautions because I couldn’t risk losing you as a partner,” she whispered. “But I didn’t allow myself to think too much about it, because there aren’t that many guys with green eyes and blond hair in school…” Her voice trailed off and he could see the cogs in her head turning. She was startled by the beep from his earring and looked up just in time to see him detransform. 

“Oh my…” she said, a hand flying to her mouth.

“Surprise?” he asked nervously because he didn’t know what to expect now that she knew. It was him who ended up being surprised when she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. 

“Of course it’s you, out of everyone… “ she mumbled into his shoulder and he smiled. “I’m so sorry Tikki!” She told the kwami hovering near them then. 

“It’s ok, Marinette. It was bound to happen. Also I can guess that Plagg didn’t discourage you from doing this, right?” Marinette just shook her head in response. “No surprise, he loves stirring trouble. Ok, I’ll just grab this macaron and wait for you over there,” the kwami said before zipping away.

“Well, I’m happy Plagg didn’t stop you. I loved having you as Multimouse. I didn’t think it was possible, but you look even cuter.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself and he froze. No, no! Flirting was not on the agenda, especially since he knew for a fact that Marinette didn’t feel this way about him. Her laughter broke through his panic.

“Well, well, Bugaboy, you never cease to surprise me,” she said in a surprisingly coy voice. “I guess I have a minute left before I transform. Tell me, have you ever dreamed about kissing Multimouse?” He could see that she was surprised by her own forwardness but he was too busy blushing to think about it. Because yes, he could distinctly remember a dream that had left him deeply disturbed. 

“What if I have?” he asked tentatively. Her question sounded like an offer and while he was confused, he wasn’t one to miss an opportunity.

“Let’s see if it matches reality then,” she grinned and then she was kissing him. And oh, it was better than his dream. Not only because it was real but also because he was kissing not only Marinette but his lady too and they were the same person! And she wouldn’t kiss him if she didn’t have feelings for him, right? 

She pulled back much too soon, deliciously flushed under the grey mask. 

“Come back here, little mouse,” he murmured before kissing her again, delighted by her surprised squeak. This was what a little hand holding led to and he didn’t mind at all.


End file.
